Am I required to use one of the preferred caterers?

You may use a caterer that is not on our preferred list. The SCC must receive a COI from the caterer at least two weeks in advance of the event date. If alcohol is being served, a liquor license must also be provided and the COI must include liquor liability coverage. As the SCC has a servery rather than a cooking kitchen, a walk-through must be scheduled with the caterer in order to familiarize them with our facility and so they can plan their food service logistics. The SCC recommends that the walk-through be scheduled approximately one month prior to the event date.

Does the SC have a kitchen?

Rather than a kitchen, the SC has a servery which may be used for the food service for your event. The servery is similar to a commercial kitchen with the exception of the cooking equipment (e.g. no stove, oven, grill, or fryer). The servery is equipped with an ice machine, sinks, refrigerator/freezer, and prep tables. There is currently no fee for the use of the servery. However, the servery must be left in the same condition in which it was received at the start of your event, or a cleaning fee may be assessed.

Can I bring in my own food or am I required to use a caterer?

You may bring in your own prepared foods or have prepared food delivered to your event. The SCC does not require a COI for restaurants or services delivering prepared food, as long as it is delivery only (e.g. no food service is involved).

Can I serve alcohol at my event?

Alcohol may be served as long as a COI and liquor license is provided a minimum of two weeks in advance of the event date.

Undergraduate student organizations may not include alcohol at their events, regardless of the ages of the participants. Graduate Law and Medical school student organizations must be granted approval in advance from the Vice President of Student Affairs or their assigned designee.

How early in the day can I start the setup for my event?

All event reservations require same-day load-in and load-out, according to the operating hours for the building for the date of the event. Since the SCC has a flat-rate pricing structure, setup and clean-up times are included in the reservation fee.

Events requiring a significant amount of setup may need to reserve the day prior to the event date in order to ensure sufficient time. Standard rates apply for additionally-reserved setup days.

Events requiring only a few extra setup or clean-up hours outside of the building’s operating hours may request an early open or late close. Requests must be made two weeks in advance and approved by SCC Operations, in order to allow for staffing. The current rate for this service is $100 per hour.

What equipment is included my reservation?

For outdoor locations, The SCC can provide 6’ tables and chairs. The Lakeside Patio Stage has a built-in sound system and lighting. For all other outdoor locations, a portable sound system can be provided, with consideration for the sound restriction policy and weather conditions. In some cases, additional fees may apply for the use of the outdoor sound system.

How tall are the risers?

The risers are set at 1’, which is usually sufficient for most needs.

What built-in AV equipment is available in the room?

Each room has some type of built-in projection screen capability to which you can connect a computer. Most rooms have a ceiling-mounted LCD projector and screen. The smaller meeting rooms have wall-mounted flat screen monitors.

Most of the rooms have a wireless microphone that can operate as either a handheld mic or a lapel (lavalier) mic. Only the smaller meeting rooms do not have built-in mics. The SCC can provide a portable sound system, if needed.

Can I connect my computer to the projection equipment?

Yes, if your device has a HDMI or VGA port. If not, please be sure to bring the appropriate adapter for your device. The SCC will provide the HDMI, VGA, and/or auxiliary cord cables for your use during the reservation.

Can I bring in rented furniture or equipment?

Yes, as long as the vendor provides a COI at least two weeks in advance of the event date in order to allow time for it to be review and approved by the Office of Risk Management.

Can I hire an external production company or DJ for my event?

Yes, as long as the vendor provides a COI at least two weeks in advance of the event date. The vendor should also contact our SCC Technology department and schedule a technical walk-through of the event in order to familiarize themselves with the facility. The Reservations Office can provide contact information for a number of production companies that have worked extensively at the SCC, should you want a referral.

Please note that DJs must bring their own sound system equipment as the built-in systems are not designed for this type of usage.

What are the parking options?

Guests may self-park in the Pavia or Merrick Parking Garages, which are located directly across Lake Osceola in front of the SC and UC. The parking fee in these garages is currently $8 per day or $1.25 per hour, Monday-Friday from 8:00 am-4:00 pm. Parking is free in these garages weekdays after 4:00 pm and all day on Saturday and Sunday.

The various colored parking lots on campus require parking permits on weekdays until 4:00pm (6:00pm for Purple lots and 24/7 for Red and Blue lots). Weekends have free, open parking in all lots except for Red and Blue, and is based on availability.

Valet parking arrangements can be made in advance with the Reservations Office. Depending on the time of day and day of week, the valet fee may either be prepaid by the event sponsor or self-paid by the guest at the time of service. Events with guests paying the valet directly will be required to provide a minimum number of vehicle guarantee by the event sponsor. Refer to the valet webpage for additional pricing information.

Can I decorate the room for my event?

Yes, certainly! Kindly note that all decorations must be ground-supported or table-top (e.g. no taping or nailing is permitted to walls or ceiling).

Small candles are allowed, if enclosed, and sterno cans may be used under food service trays.

Pipe-and-drape may be installed as long as the vendor provides a COI which meets the SCC’s minimum requirements at least two weeks in advance of the event date. For planning/estimating purposes, the ceiling height in the ballrooms is approximately 16’. Doors marked with an Exit sign are fire exits and must have a clear path for access/egress as well as an unobstructed view of the exit signage.

Is any lighting available for my event?

There are built-in spotlights available in all three sections of the Grand Ballroom which you may use for your event. These lights have basic on/off functionality and are typically aimed in the direction of the center of the back-of-house wall (where a stage is normally placed). Under some circumstances, with advance notice, these lights can be aimed elsewhere in the room by SCC Operations personnel.

The SCC can also provide LED cube up-lights which may be set to various colors, depending upon availability of the lights.

Are there room dimensions available for me to plan my event setup?

We can provide pdf files with the ballroom and meeting room dimensions. We also have internet-based room diagramming software, Social Tables, which facilitates room layout design using elements (e.g. tables, chairs) and room dimensions which are architecturally to-scale. The SCC Reservations Office would be happy to create room diagrams in Social Tables for your event; you may opt to have edit capability so that you can also make changes.